CC [Ya Later] Sabbatical

It's baseball season! Does that signify a pop culture shop sabbatical no more? My sources point to yes...

I just had to pay homage to America's past-time with awesome nineties photos of Donnie Baseball and Chris Sabo

...But I guess we will have to see, as the Yankees and Reds take the field today, both teams with talented rotations and lineups; one with many more expectations and even more to lose if their season isn't a successful one. The anticipation has built to an all-time high throughout the Yankees' extremely eventful and productive off-season. With CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett beefing up [let's hope this time that doesn't mean literally] the Bombers' already-stellar rotation [joining Wang, Pettite and Chamberlain], this could finally be the year they've been looking for since their last title in 2000. And I don't even need to get started on the line-up [with or without ARod, it's unreal]. This season is going to be one for the books. I guess when you're talking about the Yanks, what year isn't?

The hype around the Reds this year should be great for the city, even though year in and year out Cincy crawls with die-hards despite god-awful records. Their young, carefree players won't be playing under much pressure, and should provide for great entertainment at Great American Ballpark. It would be nice if they get to make a postseason appearance. I mean, it's been about 15 years anyway.

Looking forward to an amazing MLB season.

To the fans of the University of Florida...

(and to all of us who enjoyed when this man turned "The" Ohio State University into Gator bait by manhandling them in the 2006 BCS game 41-14): You can thank my alma mater, Bowling Green State University, because it is there where Urban Meyer got his head coaching start in NCAA football.

Cowher: Bengals in playoffs in '09

Bill Cowher is convinced (myself- not so much) that the Cincinnati Bengals will make an appearance in the playoffs next year for three simple reasons...
1. Our defense finished 12th in the league
2. Carson Palmer will be returning
3. Cedric Benson can establish himself as the running back

In my opinion, our defense will be fine, and our stats for the season show just that. When we have a healthy O-line, we can start talking about Carson making a decent return. And as soon as we have some adjustments made in our administration (i.e. obtaining a GM and somehow ridding ourselves of Mike Brown), we can surpass talks about simply going to the playoffs; let's talk Super Bowl. No, I'm only kidding (a fan can wish, eh?), but the joke about Cedric Benson establishing himself as the running back trumps them all. He had two good games against two very terrible defenses. He still has too much to prove.

Bill Cowher is the man though, and let's hope that he's right, but needless to say, I'm not holding my breath.

A chip off the ol' block

As a spectator, it gets tiring to watching NCAA and NBA basketball players not being able to execute the fundamentals of the game (i.e. free throws and layups, among others). Pat Knight, Bobby's son and heir to the Knight coaching legacy, felt similarly when his Texas Tech players were struggling with making layups.

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech Red Raiders coach Pat Knight grew tired of watching his team miss shots that even a child could make. So he found one to illustrate his frustration.

While the Red Raiders (10-4) were busy botching about 15 layups against Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, Knight scoured the stands and invited a youngster to join the team huddle.

Knight asked the boy whether he could make layups. The boy said he could. "I was just tired of having 18- or 21-year-olds miss layups that a 12-year-old could hit, so I brought a 12-year-old in to let them know that he could hit layups," Knight said. "He's 12 and he can hit layups, so why can't you when you're 18 to 21?" The psychological maneuver evidentally worked. A layup by Mike Singletary with 8:44 remaining in the game put Texas Tech up 52-36, and Stephen F. Austin (7-4) couldn't cobble together a comeback. The Red Raiders beat the Lumberjacks, 69-55.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

It's a good thing we (as spectators) get to see Bob's unconventional, effective (however not-so-violent) coaching methods live on through Pat.

Just sayin'...

After the Bengals' dismal 0-8 start to the 2008 NFL season, it seemed they were doomed to being the cellar dwellers of the AFC North (if not the entire league). I suppose it's not too shabby for the Bengals to go 4-3-1 after a winless first half of the season, especially since – no thanks to having 23 players on IR – a number of positions were being played by players as far down as third on the depth chart; not to mention while playing without our 2006 Pro Bowl MVP. The solid ending (to what could have been a historically bad season) has given the players and coaches a boost for next season, while still holding on to a good draft pick come April. Another good thing? The Thumbs Down Browns sunk to the bottom of the division thanks to losing their six final games.

Bungals vs. Clowns; the battle of who's worse in Ohio

My brother always hates on Leon Hall, who plays CB for the Bengals. He thinks he's terrible, although he really is not that bad and is clearly a few steps up from that bum (Deltha O'Neal) who played for us a couple of seasons ago. Anywho, I had to work at 5:30am this morning until 2pm this afternoon, so I missed the entire first half. My brother texted me the update at half: 14-0 Bengals; one TD pass to Chris Henry and an INT return by Leon Hall.

I will give you the exact textversation:

Me: Your boy... Ha
Jason: Ha tru

[Leon Hall gets his second INT of the day]

Me: There goes your boy again
Jason: Ha tru. Only against a JV qb tho

[Leon Hall gets his third INT of the day]

Me: Hahahahaha
Jason: More like an 8th grade qb haha

I just thought that was hilarious. The Bengals vs. Clowns is really only the battle of who's worse in the state of Ohio, and the game really isn't meant to be anything but a boost of morale. The Bengals ended up shuting out the Browns 14-0, making this the first time the Browns have been shut out at home since 2006 (against the Bengals). The battle for who's worse in Ohio is the only thing Cleveland won yesterday.

History repeating itself?

When Northwestern defeated Michigan, 21-14, in football Nov. 15 at Michigan Stadium, Northwestern alumnus Joe Girardi sent a text message to Derek Jeter, who attended Michigan for one semester in 1992. "The last time Northwestern won at Michigan [1995], the Yankees won four of the next five World Series," Girardi wrote.

Jeter responded: "Thank you for providing a silver lining to my misery."

"Yanks improve rotation, keep young talent"

Buster Olney's blog on espn.com brings up some very valid points that I hope will shut the mouths of all the Yankees naysayers/haters, and to review: The Yankees will be younger, cheaper and deeper, and maybe better.

Read the entire entry here.

Play to Win, Not to Settle for Ties

Chad Ocho Cinco has been deactivated for tonight's game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Rumor has it that Chad made a comment about how the team should play to win and not settle for a tie, but Chad's reps could not be reached for comment and the Bengals refuse to make another statement until after the game.

He does, however, make a good point. There were many occasions in the game verses Philly where Marvin Lewis and the coaching staff played it way too safe. As my dad put it during the game, they were "playing like they're not trying to lose, but not trying to win either." I guess their scheme worked to their advantage since they clearly wanted to tie. The Bengals need to take chances. What do we have to lose now? Besides chances at a higher draft pick? Like that'll do any good anyway, since Mike Brown is still in charge; we're going to lose games regardless until he's gone.

I can't really fathom why our organization cannot properly punish criminals (let alone re-sign them!), and choose to suspend a guy who is just trying to win games. I side with Chad in his struggle.

I, too, am a douchebag

For the first time in six years, an NFL game resulted in a tie yesterday. Leave it to the Bengals; the perennially bad, cellar dwellers of the NFL. As though a loss is bad enough, a tie is nothing, indifferent. It's like getting a nice swift kick in the ass; something Mike Brown likes to do to his fans week in and week out, so I guess that's at least fitting.

It's painful to be a Bengals fan. Depressing even. With the Colts and Peyton Manning only 90 miles away, it's very tempting to make the switch to a superior organization. But I am loyal and wouldn't do that to my team. By being a Bengals fan, I've committed to this relationship like I would a marriage. The whole "til death do we part... in good times and in bad... in sickness and in health" mantra applies. Sometimes it's rough, there are better days than others, and there's going to be temptation to stray, but I've made a commitment.

Because of this, I too, am a douchebag.

Here's to looking up

I think all Bengals fans alike are pretty much fed up with how the organization is run. Or not run; whichever way you see fit to look at the situation. There are numerous issues that start at the top (ahem, Mike Brown), and will never cease unless we look to the top to make some major adjustments. For example: hire a [good] General Manager. This first billboard is now up in four different locations in the Cincinnati area thanks to whodeyrevolution.com. It gets straight to the point:
As business partners, WEBN and the Bengals seem to have a good relationship. The billboard below proves informative in regard to where you can listen to the games on Sundays (because we all know we don't deserve any Monday night games). As a Bengals fan, I translate it to mean exactly as it reads, because clearly the team (as well as the offense and leadership, among the aforementioned numerous issues with the organization) has been MIA all season. Sweet irony.Here's to looking up for the possibility of a good game following the bye week. Or just looking up to good billboards; because they have proved to be much more entertaining.

Top 10 Sexiest Athletes Alive [IMO]

I was going over my first Top 10 Sexiest list with a few of my friends, and it was noted that they all happened to be actors. I knew that, but I feel it's only appropriate to create another; this time I would make a top 10 of athletes. Without further adieu, here is my Top 10 in alphabetical order; because trying to rate them in order from hottest of hot to just plain hot is criminal.

David Beckham
I'll make this short and sweet. His style is unparalleled, he seems like an all around good guy, and he was even hot with a mullet- an amazing feat.


Tom Brady
I may hate his team more than any other in the NFL, but somebody as attractive as him has to be recognized. And applauded. Because wow. [There, I said it!] It feels good to have that out in the open. It's like an addict's first step to recovery: the admission to having a problem; some deep, dark, secret addiction. 'My name is Linsey and I am secretly addicted to Tom Brady.' Now everyone can applaud me.


Sidney Crosby
Hockey is by far the sexiest sport on the planet, and the Captain and center for the Pens is the perfect poster child to exemplify that. And he can pull off a playoff beard, which will come in handy for many years to come.


Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter gets a lot of credit for his good looks. And rightfully so! He is simply beautiful- at least when he's wearing a hat. I just had to show a picture of him holding up the '4' because he's the only athlete on this list whose team has won more championships than Tom Brady has with the Pats.


Ryan Lochte
I swear, this Olympic swimmer is my other half. He just doesn't know it yet! And he is just as hot as he is funny. In my opinion, he is the sexiest athlete in the world. That's why he deserves a plethora of photos to let you see just how amazing he is. And if you're wondering: yes, he really did put in his grill piece when he won silver at the 2007 World Championships in Sydney. Like I said... soul mates.


Chad Ocho Cinco
I'll probably get burned at the stake for this one, but love him or hate him, this guy has serious sex appeal. And he's goofy. How could any girl [or at least myself] resist?


Brady Quinn
I have to be fair. I've heard that he was your typical Dublin Coffman guy [and that can't be a good thing], so he may be super-douchey. To give him the benefit of the doubt, I'll just say his looks alone have landed him on this list.


Andy Roddick
Ah, a tennis stud. Andy Roddick is as beautiful as he is talented. I'll even let it slide that he had a momentary lapse in judgment by dating Mandy Moore.


Alex Rodriguez
The Yankees Third Baseman is hot, and 'roids or no 'roids [we'll save that for a later debate], ARod is alpha male sexy.


Cristiano Ronaldo
He may be a skeez, but at least he's man candy for sure.

0-16 is sounding scary real.

Random FYI–
I'm wearing a Bengals shirt for Halloween because the colors are quite appropriate. Oh, and because I don't think I own anything scarier than Bengals attire.

I hope everyone has a safe and awesome Halloween. I've got a few plans this weekend. Maybe I'll even post some pictures post-Halloween of my Ugly Betty costume!

If it's [Mike] Brown, flush it down

"Cincinnati fell to 0-7 for the fifth time since 1991, when Mike Brown* took control of the team and the franchise fell into one of the longest stretches of futility in NFL history. Only 18 times since 1991 has a team started a season by losing its first seven games; Cincinnati accounts for five of those." –Excerpt from an article on ESPN.com

*Embarrassing excuse for an owner. We will never succeed as an organization as long as he continues to run it.

OSU Beats USC

Ohio State and their fans only wish they were the OSU team to capitalize with a win in a game against the Trojans. The unranked Beavers beat the #1-ranked USC last night, ultimately knocking them out of BCS National Championship contention.

Boo the Clowns

When I went to college at Bowling Green State University, it was in a region full of Browns fans. I got thoroughly annoyed with their obnoxious behavior and loud, idiotic barks (I guess they need something dumb and catchy for a team who never had a mascot, so I'll let it slide I guess), but most importantly, I got sick of their never-ending need to rectify their misery by hating on Bengals fans. Maybe that's because we have beaten them 5 out of our last 6 meetings and their first-time-over-.500-season since being axed from the league suddenly gave them a sense of empowerment (they still didn't make the playoffs, so eff 'em). I respect their enthusiasm year in and year out despite the fact that their team has been crap all but one year since re-joining the NFL, but when it came to showing up on Sunday, neither the team did, nor did their "die hard" fans. What I love most is that the Browns fans (the same fans who claim that all Bengals fans jump on the bandwagon, are consistently disloyal, and are fairweather) exchanged their barks for boos when they got twamped by the Cowboys in Cleveland yesterday.

I love it.

Now you know what it feels like to actually go into a season with high expectations and the pressure to succeed.

Depressed in Bungaldom

It has been a slow day, and perhaps that is because Bungaldom has me all different kinds of depressed, or maybe because I am running on reserve fuel right now. Despite our 17-10 loss to Baltimore, I will say that I am thankful that the Browns got it handed to them by T.O. and company, which alleviates my foul mood a little.

This just in- according to ProFootballTalk.com, Tom Brady is out for the rest of the 2008 season with a torn ACL. I'm curious to see how the Pats and their fans bounce back after that news. All I know is that it's going to be a very long season for Bengals fans and Pats fans alike.

The Rebranding of Ocho Cinco 2.0, the Athletainer

Of all the ESPN discussion boards I have read (trust me, I don't know why I do so because people on there really aggravate me with their uneducated, über-biased opinions, but that is beside the point), most arguments claim that Chad Johnson (ahem, Chad Javon Ocho Cinco) isn't using proper Spanish grammar. My first beef with this is that most of the time this "argument" comes from people who can't properly distinguish the difference between your/you're, to/too/two and there/their/they're, who cannot effectively use ellipses, and who consistently abuse that poor caps lock key. Secondly, I consider myself pretty educated (I took the equivalent of eight years of Spanish throughout middle school, high school and college) in the Spanish language, despite the fact that I am nowhere near fluent (but trust me, I could still write you one helluva 3-page essay), and the fact that he calls himself "Ocho Cinco" instead of "Ochenta y Cinco" does not bother me. For those of us who watch and play sports, we know what it is like to encourage our fellow players by saying "Let's go one-nine" instead of saying "Let's go nineteen," or "Come on two-four" instead of "Come on twenty-four." I may use appropriate "ochenta y cinco" grammar in that essay I said I could write, but in all sports technicality, Ocho Cinco is correctly used. Besides, would you rather be called "Ocho Cinco" or "Ochenta y Cinco?" Sure, you may think it's a silly name either way, but that's neither here nor there.

With the rebranding boom going on right now (see Days Inn, Dairy Queen, BP, and Payless as only a few examples), I think he's doing great marketing for himself in a No Fun League full of should-be athletainers, a word hybrid Mr. Ocho Cinco so creatively coined himself.